Spicers, Inc. v. Rudd

1947 OK 382, 188 P.2d 692, 199 Okla. 576, 1947 Okla. LEXIS 768
CourtSupreme Court of Oklahoma
DecidedDecember 16, 1947
DocketNo. 32801
StatusPublished
Cited by10 cases

This text of 1947 OK 382 (Spicers, Inc. v. Rudd) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Oklahoma primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Spicers, Inc. v. Rudd, 1947 OK 382, 188 P.2d 692, 199 Okla. 576, 1947 Okla. LEXIS 768 (Okla. 1947).

Opinion

BAYLESS, J.

This is an action for damages prosecuted by plaintiff, Thomas Wayne Rudd, a minor, by his father and next friend, against defendants, Spicers, Incorporated, the American Fidelity & Casualty Company, and Vernon Eugene Miller. The jury returned a verdict in plaintiff’s favor for $20,000 and judgment was rendered on the verdict against Spicers, Incorporated, and Miller for $20,000 and against the American Fidelity & Casualty Company for $5,000. Defendants have appealed from this judgment. Parties will be referred to as they appeared in the trial court, except the American Fidelity & Casualty Company, when referred to alone, will be called the insurance company.

The defense was a general denial and contributory negligence, and the [577]*577insurance company defended on the further ground of defect of parties. Defendants claim that plaintiff failed to establish primary negligence. The evidence of plaintiff shows that Vernon Eugene Miller, while in the employment of Spicers, Incorporated, caused a truck and trailer which he was driving to stop on U. S. Highway 77 between Third and Fourth avenues in the city of Ardmore at about 11 p.m. The highway runs north and south and the avenues east and west. There was a street light at each of the intersections. The light at the south intersection was burning. There is some question as to whether the other street light was burning, but we do not deem this material to the issues here involved. The truck was parked facing south, approximately 100 feet south of the north intersection. The pavement at this point was 36 feet wide, consisting of two ten-foot slabs in the center and an eight-foot slab on each side.

The semi-trailer was parked at an angle toward the center of the pavement so that the rear left wheel of the trailer was one to two feet east of the black line which separated the west eight-foot slab from the ten-foot slab, leaving a space of eight or nine feet between the trailer and the center line of the pavement. No lights were burning on the truck prior to the time of the accident. The driver testified that he did not have any flares with him. However, after the accident and some time during the night, flares were placed around the truck. The night was clear. There is a railroad right of way immediately to the west' of the highway. On the east side of the highway between Third and Fourth avenues there is a filling station, an automobile sales place, and what appears to be a small garage. About 11:30 p.m. plaintiff was traveling south on Highway 77 in a pickup Fork truck. Although he owned the truck Billie Whisenhunt was driving at the time. Plaintiff was seated on the right side. Two girls were also in the front seat and one was sitting on plaintiff’s lap. As the pickup approached the truck and the trailer the light of a car coming from the South blinded the driver of the pickup so that he did not see the trailer until within ten or fifteen feet of it. He attempted to veer to the left to miss it but the right side of the pickup scraped against the corner of the trailer, causing serious injury to the plaintiff’s right arm. The driver of defendant’s truck was resting in the cab when the accident occurred. The driver testified there were two reflector plates on the rear of the trailer, but all of the occupants of the car denied seeing them.

Plaintiff relies on the case of Ross v. Gearin, 145 Okla. 66, 291 P. 534. The facts in that case are very similar to the facts under consideration. In holding that the question of negligence was properly submitted to the jury in. that case we said:

“The determination of what is, or is not negligence, is for the jury unless-the facts are such that all reasonable men must draw the same conclusion.”

In Shefts Supply Co. v. Purkapile, 169 Okla. 157, 36 P. 2d 275, another case similar to the one at bar, we said:

“ ... In our opinion the trial court, could not say that the course of conduct pursued by the agents of the defendants was one which a careful and. reasonably prudent person would pursue without question. The question was-therefore properly submitted to the jury, and we find no fault with the1 court’s instructions to the jury upon, this point.”

Defendants rely on the case of Boucher v. Groendyke Transport Co., 195 Okla. 483, 160 P. 2d 403. In that case the truck was parked in the business district of a town close to and • parallel to the curb and within 30 feet of a street light. In affirming the judgment for the defendant, we held therein:

“Under ordinary circumstances one driving a motor vehicle has the right to park at designated places not otherwise prohibited by the city ordinances. [578]*578of said .city, and there is nothing in 47 O. S. 1941 §131 requiring such vehicle properly parked to be lighted in compliance with said section.”

We cannot say as a matter of law that defendant’s truck was properly parked or that failure to keep the truck lights burning or to place flares around the truck was not negligence.

Defendants also urge that they merely created a condition which gave rise to the occasion by which the injury was made possible; that the acts of the driver of plaintiff’s car were an intervening cause; and that defendant’s act was the remote cause. In 45 C.J. 932, §491, it is said:

“ . . . But where the condition was such that the injury might have been anticipated, or where such condition rendered it impossible to avoid injury from another contributing cause, it will be the proximate cause notwithstanding the intervening agency. . . .”

We said in Stephens v. Oklahoma City Ry. Co., 28 Okla. 340, 114 P. 611, at page 346:

“ . . . The rule seems to be that where the negligent act causes consequences such as in the ordinary course of things were likely to arise, and which might, therefore, reasonably be expected to arise, or which it was contemplated by the parties might arise, liability follows; otherwise not. . . .”

We hold that the court did not err in submitting the question of negligence and proximate cause to the jury.

Defendants complain that the trial court committed error in refusing to give their requested instructions Nos. 2, 3, and 4. These instructions would have advised the jury that defendant Miller had the right to park the truck and trailer at the place where it was parked; that defendants, were not required to keep lights burning thereon or to place flares around the truck and trailer. In view of our holding on the question of primary negligence it is plain that these questions were for the jury to pass on and not for the court. Defendants’ requested instruction No. 10, that it is negligence to drive an automobile on a dark night at such speed that it cannot be stopped or turned aside within the distance that objects can be seen ahead of it, was covered by instruction No. 10 given by the court which- advised the jury that it is negligence to drive a vehicle upon a highway at a .speed greater than will permit the driver to bring it to a stop within the assured clear distance ahead. This instruction was copied verbatim from the statute (47 O.S. 1941 §92). The court refused to give defendants’ instruction No. 13 which was as foN lows:

“It is the duty of a driver of an automobile traveling by night to have such a headlight as will enable him to see in advance the face of the highway and to discover obstacles in his path in time for his own safety . . . .”

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Bluebook (online)
1947 OK 382, 188 P.2d 692, 199 Okla. 576, 1947 Okla. LEXIS 768, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/spicers-inc-v-rudd-okla-1947.